Walking In Circles

7.0 Miles to Cash Hollow Road

I want a pink motorbike!

7.3 Miles to Jennings Creek

Found a hidden flower garden.  I think in memorial of a girl who had died, I'm not sure.  But it was a wonderful little place and there was a very contented rabbit munching on the flowers.

9.4 Miles to Montvale Overlook

I ended up walking along the side of some running water for a while.  I can see why cultures around the world have always considered running water to be a location of spiritual importance.  It was... refreshing.

6.5 Miles to Bailey Gap Shelter

Aaaah!  I swallowed a spider!!

Okay, I think I read that the average person swallows seven spiders a day.  Because, really, you are covered with tensy-tinsy varmints of various sorts.  But that is not helping!

This was a big huge fat spider.  The kind you see in National Geographic specials where the bird vomits it back up because it is poisonous and nasty and learns to never, never, never eat a spider again.

He was hanging from a branch and I didn't notice and I sucked him in on an inhale.  And then he was in my throat and then I swallowed him.  And, I didn't have any water with me.  I was sure I could feel him crawling back up but I gagged and coughed and choked and no spider.

Finally I got some water and swallowed lots and lots and I'm sure he's good and drowned.

Waaaaaa!

13.1 Miles to Hot Springs, NC

Oh, what a drag- the fourth day in a row of rain and it is expected to continue for several more days.  Seriously approaching torture; I can barely haul myself through the day.  I think a lot on these walks- I have several entire blog posts for Cactus Juice written in my head, but by the time I'm done with dinner and writing this post there is nothing else possible but sleep.  Maybe when I see sunshine again.

Hot Springs embraces their role as an Appalachian Trail town.  It might cheer up a rain-weary hiker.

6.5 Miles to Hiawassee!!

This was basically all downhill to the lowest elevation in two pages of waypoints.  And Hiawassee is exciting- the first real town right on the trail.  There are several hotel options.  The Hiawassee Innlooks interesting, but they don't have internet.  Several hotels through town, but really the town kind of snuck up on me so I'm not sure where to stay.  And lots of fast food, none of which sounds that interesting.  Honestly, I almost got run over by someone diving into Wendy's today.  I never eat at Wendy's so it's sort of invisible to me until some car goes racing in.  Town ain't all that: I think I'll just keep walking.  North Carolina comes up at the end of this page.

6.5 Miles Over Burnett Field Mountain

It was actually way too cold to stay on Ramrock Mountain last night.  Fortunately, there's a hiker hostel called, get this, Hiker Hostel and if you stay there you get a free shuttle from Woody Gap.  On their website, they have many, many photos from guests- go look.

Owners Joshua and Leigh Saint welcomed me into their establishment and served up this lovely breakfast:

MMMMMmmmmm, pancakes, mmmmmmmm. Room  and breakfast is $38 (you can get a bunk for $16, but I'm fussy).  Here on the virtual Appalachian Trail that has been paid to the AT Conservancy. (Thank you, Saints!)

I took the Hiker Hostel shuttle back to Woody Gap and continued on my way.  It was quite early in the morning and so very, very cold that I had a hoodie pulled over my baklava-type hat, and a shell over that, and the area Park Ranger was so surprised to see me walking by that I think he choked on his coffee.

Tomorrow I may be joined by a Maniac that didn't quite make it today, and the trail goes over some interesting place-names.